RESEARCH ARTICLES CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 121, NO. 10, 25 NOVEMBER 2021 1302 *For correspondence. (e-mail: bijudharmapalan@gmail.com) Gender dimensions in popular science writing in India Biju Dharmapalan 1,2, *, G. Mahesh 1,2 and Phuldeep Kumar 3 1 CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR), New Delhi 110 012, India 2 Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, India 3 Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre, DRDO, New Delhi 110 054, India Studies on gender disparity in science, technology, en- gineering and medicine (STEM) are gathering consi- derable attention across the globe. Almost in every field of STEM a male predominance can be noticed. Gender analysis in popular science writing has not been studied so far. The present study was carried out to analyse the gender dimension in popular science writing in India using Science Reporter, India’s lead- ing popular science magazine. All the issues of the monthly magazine published between 2010 and 2020 were analysed. The study supports the hypothesis that gender disparity is evident even in popular science writing. The number of articles contributed by women is considerably lower than men. Women tend to show more interest in collaboration in popular science writ- ing. Keywords: Gender gap, popular science, science com- munication, Science Reporter. TRADITIONALLY and globally, women scientists and science communicators are grossly under-represented and fre- quently misrepresented in the media and society. Often the profession of women in science has been undermined while giving substantial precedence to their feminine and sexual qualities 1–4 . Such skewed and stereotypical por- trayal of woman intuitively suggests that they do not belong in the science field and will further result in the alienation of women from science education, research and other related careers 5,6 . Greater representation of women in science communication is important because it can potentially promote the interest and engagement of women in science 7,8 . Science communication includes the introduction and broadcasting of science as a part of everyday life and making it accessible to the masses to bridge the gap bet- ween science and the non-specialist community. Scientific awareness is important as it helps demystify myths and in tackling superstitions that are often used to deceive people. Science communication also helps in promoting scientific know-how with regard to commonplace affairs and to approach them with logical reasoning. There is a steady increase in scientific output and a variety of out- reach efforts. However, public understanding or apprecia- tion of a vast majority of scientific knowledge generated by Indian researchers is minimal. Strengthening the foun- dations of science journalism and science communication in the country can be a panacea to this widening gap bet- ween the scientists and society at large. Women can play an important role in science communication. Women and science communication Science communication offers opportunities for women in science who are looking for alternative career paths. They are often under social pressure to seek careers that fulfil societal goals and a career in science communica- tion is therefore especially appealing to women 3,8 . Also, many women in science are encouraged to participate in outreach activities and to serve as role models for young girls in society 9 . Women in general are known to possess better communication skills 10 and their ability to listen, talk, empathize and deal with emotions are all qualities of an able communicator. This ability to communicate can be used to better advantage, especially in the fields of science and science communication. Nevertheless, women continue to face many challenges in the field of science communication and are unable to maintain visibility and play important roles in this field 11 . India is a multilingual country and the Indian constitution recognizes 22 official languages. The literacy rate for women in the country is 39% against 64% for men 10 . About 35% of science graduates are women. It is perceived that majority of women enter into graduate programmes in science with less degree of confidence than men. Also, pregnancy and child-bearing can be hindering factors for women when pursuing higher education and careers thereof. Many of them, either out of free will or due to societal pressure, leave the field altogether due to con- straints of family and motherhood 10 . There are several science communication organizations in India. These include the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), CSIR-Natio- nal Institute of Science Communication and Policy Res- earch (NIScPR), Marathi Vigyan Parishad (MVP), Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishath (KSSP), Vigyan Prasar, Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA), National Centre for